The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-04-21
"Bak1ng Powders" and the Public
Health.

! "Baklng POWQerS, anu Illo uOllC
Health.
From the Austin, Tex, Medical journal.
The public have not the faintest con
ceptiop, nor even the medical profession
an ADEQUATE idea, of the extent to Whlch
"our daily bread" is adulterated. Many
spurious, worthless, even dangerous prep
arations, by kind of latter day boom
ing" acquire popularity when olteI
drives purer, better articles from the
market, on account Of the low price at
which they can he sod. Instances OF such
adulteratiOn are constantly being brought
TO light in those states where the Argus
eyed Inspector is ever on the alert.
The adulteration of bread is more in
furious to public health than any othes
form of food adulteratiOn; and the sharp
ers "get in their work" most eHectually
through the medium of so-called baking
powders" with which the market Is Hooded
all claiming to be the best, and all war
ranted free from adulteration."
The substances most used Tor this
nefarlous purpose are alum and lime.
Alum costs about 212 cents per pound;
lime, almost nothing; while pure cream
of tartar, of which these articles are
claimed to be composed, costs about Az
cents. Hence, the TEN ptation, and hence
the successful imposition by means OF
lower price, upon the unsuspectlng. Let
the physician contemplate for moment
the effect which the daily ingestlon OF
Inns or alum must have upon the general
health. 1t is a slow poison, bat sure
one, and is, doubtless, one of the most
prolific causes of Indigestion, dyspepsia,
etc, and of kidney disease, to say nothing
of a large class of nondescript ailments,
which, being obscure, are laid to malaria
Lime, upon being heated, gives on a
small quantity of carbonic acid gas, which
serves to make the bread "rise;" but
what is left?-quicklime, a powerful
caustic. Imagine the effect which the IN
! gestion Of such a substance daily, for q
| long period of time, must have upon the
delicate mucous membrane of the
stomach especially of infauts; and, later
on, upon that of the bladder. where
doubtless, minute particle of 1t are finally
deposited, and become the nuclei OF the
stone in the bladder.
Prof. j. w, Mallett, of the University Of
Virginia Gate of Texas, says of this adul
teration: 81 am decidedly of the opinlOr
that both the substance (alum) itself, anc
the products to which it gives rise in the
course of making of bread, are injurious tt
health, and on that account, fall into thu
| list of such food accessories as should, Oh
sanitary grounds, be prohibited by law"
The attention of the sanitary officers o.
the United States government has beer
| directed to this matter, and Prof. ii.
Mott, United States government chemist
made an analysis of over one hundred
specimens of baking powders bought IL
open market, and it is asserted that ever.
one that was examined, with one notable
exec ption, the Royal Baking Powder, con
tanned either alum or lime, or both; an(
in one, ~ per cont, or one-elghth of tn
weight, was lime. When such consplcu
Gus exception is found amidst so muoi
fraud, the public and the medical profes
sion should show their appreciation of 1t
should regard it as a beaefaction; ant
part of the care exercised by the family
physician on behalf of the health of hi
constituency, if directed to caution agalns
such insidious adulterations, would doubt
less prove protective measure agalns
! future ailments, and save much suGsequon
trouble.
Actuated partly by curiosity, and partl
by an interest in the subject, we cause,
an examination of this brand, the Roya
Baking Powder, to be made by compe
tent chemist, and assured ourselves of 1t
purity. Doubtless there are other brand
which are pure, or nearly so; but con
spicuous position has been given this on
in particular by published analyses an,
testimonials of absolute purity by sucI
men as Prof. II. A. Mott, DR.. W. 6
Tucker, professor of chemistry of tn
Albany, n. Y, Medical college; Prof. Nc
Murtrie, late chemist of the agricultural
department of the I. S. Government, ant
by Prof. Mallett, of the Virginia Uniyer
sity, well.known to all Texans as
thorough and conscientious chemist.
1t is not claimed that all baking eowde
authorizations are harmful, but 1t is to b
urged that there is great danger in tn
use of those miscellaneous powders whic
flood the market, or are peddled iron
door to door, whose contents are no
known, or are of doubtful quality. A
| illustration of this danger is given i'll tn
following paragraph, which is but one g
the many similar reports seen in the pub
| lie press:
Wabash, Ind. Jan. 5.-The family of job
| Wooster, prominent citizen of Montpelier, Blacl
ford county, consisting OF five persons were po
/ sOned on Monday night by eating biscuit in whic
had been used q very inferior quality of bakin
powder. Two hours after supper the entire fami
" was seized with terrible gripes, aud their IL
tense pain could not be alleviated. The patient
have grown steadily worse, and alarming SYM
toms have appeared one of the children is Gyin!
and the remainder of the family is in a precariou
conditon.-WacO Examiner.
The hope is cherished that the day i
not far distant when an intelligent boarC
of health in Texas will exercise a Wig
lance in the direction of food adultera
tion in the interest of public health, an,
then this crime, for such it is, will b
punished by law, as it deserves to be.